Background: Avatars are representations of the self in a virtual environment. They
have been used to influence behaviour and may represent a promising avenue for
designing interventions to promote health-related behaviour change.
Aim: To determine the extent to which a representation of the self in a videogame
influences health-related behaviours.
Method: In addressing the aim of the thesis, a mixed methods approach was
adopted. This started with a systematic review investigating the effectiveness
of various attempts at health persuasion using avatar appearance manipulation.
Next, a qualitative study investigating gamers’ avatar design preferences and
experiences of playing an exergame with an idealised, self-similar avatar was
conducted. The quantitative phase of the thesis involved three quantitative studies
investigating the existence, ambivalence, and variance of stereotypes associated
with plus-sized and athletic physiques over three modalities (text, image, video);
and a replication-extension of an exergame-based Proteus Effect study involving
larger-bodied and ‘average’ avatars. In this latter study, a bespoke exergame was
developed that used the stimuli developed in the previous studies as avatars.
Results: The systematic review (Chapter 4) revealed that a small number of
studies had investigated using avatars to promote health related behaviour, and
a common finding was that using larger-bodied (compared with athletic) avatars
in exergames resulted in reduced physical-activity. Since this was explained
in terms of stereotypical behaviours, such as laziness, being assimilated into
the players’ behaviour, the qualitative study (Chapter 5) explored participants’
accounts of being restricted to an athletic avatar and found that this was not
always a positive experience. To explore this further, Chapter 6 investigated
the stereotype structures of plus-sized and athletic bodies were both found to
suggest ambivalence. Text descriptions of prototypical ‘athletic’ groups (Chapter
6), and images of virtual humans with athletic bodies (Chapter 7) were rated as
more competent, more arrogant, and less friendly compared with larger-bodied
examples. Negative stereotypes, such as laziness, were reflected in evaluations
of larger bodied representations, but so was the potentially positive trait of
affability. In Chapter 8, larger-bodied exemplars that were animated with
counter-stereotypical information (running on the spot) were rated less negatively
than those that were stationary. When the exemplars were used as avatars, there
was no evidence for behaviour change as a function of avatar-physique in the
experimental replication study (Chapter 9).
Conclusion: By using methods derived from existing social psychological
theories, it is possible to create representations of larger bodies that are evaluated
more positively. Further, there may be negative consequences to relying on
athletic-bodied avatars to encourage exercise. Although there was no strong
evidence that participants behaviour was affected by the type of avatar used, an
argument can be made for allowing users to explore a broader range of physiques
and presenting larger-bodied characters positively as competent agents